


The Way It Is

by drainspoon



Series: Newt's Life Work aka his Angst Collection [4]
Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Relationships, Angst, Heavy Angst, Hurt, Hurt No Comfort, I do not condone abuse, Implied/Referenced Abuse, M/M, Physical Abuse, doc is the bad guy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:28:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25283134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drainspoon/pseuds/drainspoon
Summary: "One day— One day, he's going to hurt you and I wont be there to help you and you're going to die. Maybe then you'll see."
Relationships: John | BdoubleO100 & Arek Lisowski | Keralis, Steffen Mossner | Docm77/John | BdoubleO100
Series: Newt's Life Work aka his Angst Collection [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924231
Comments: 7
Kudos: 54





	The Way It Is

**Author's Note:**

> warning, if you didn't read the tags: this heavily implies abuse. i do not condone abuse. it is awful in every way. but, i felt the need to write about it so i did.

there were times when bdubs honestly, truly wondered if doc was just fooling with him. if he'd never even mattered to him in the first place. if he was just some toy that he could play with and then drop, that could be replaced if it got too torn up and broken to be exciting anymore.

but then doc would help nurse his wounds, and fix anything he had broken without charge. they would cuddle together on top of mount goatmore with a thin blanket, and it would get blown away and they would spend the next hour laughing as they ran around trying to catch it, even though everytime they got close they would purposely "miss" so the moment could continue. they would kiss, and hold hands, and press their foreheads together, and he would implode with his love for the other. 

and then night would fall.

it was a vicious cycle, one that bdubs never came out of unscathed, but he couldn't shake his love for doc, even when he almost bled out on the tile of their bathroom and he would have to call keralis and beg for him to either help or end him right then and there (which happened very frequently).

...

right now, he didn't need to think about that.

right now, it was just enough into the morning that they could ignore the actions of before. he could pretend like he didn't ache all over, and that there wasn't a bloody bandage wrapped tightly around his stomach, and that he hadn't called keralis at four in the morning to beg him for help because he couldn't stop the bleeding, and that he hadn't whispered his amends and begged for forgiveness to some unseen god just a few hours ago. he could pretend that they were a normal couple.

which they were.

as normal as a mob-human couple could be at least.

doc squeezed his hand, bringing bdubs back to reality. "you alright, babe?" he had slowed his pace to walk beside him as they wandered idly though the shops set up by the various other hermits. it was one of their first proper outings as a couple in a while, if you didn't count the meet ups with each other to spend the night and hang out.

bdubs leaned on his shoulder lovingly. "'course i'm fine," he hummed, eyes flicking up to the creeper's concerned face. "i'm with you." and so they fell silent, and his eyes slipped shut, but he didn't worry about running into anything. there's no way doc would let him, even with everything that went on in the dark of night. he felt safe beside him. no—he knew he was safe beside him.

"bubbles?"

his eyes snapped open at the familiar voice, both men slowing to a stop. he twisted around, blinking at keralis, with his stunned and concerned face, blitzing with bolts of vile hatred every time he looked over to doc. bdubs grinned at him in reply, revealing a missing tooth that he wouldn't end up replacing on the right side of his lower jaw. the trio knew exactly which event had lead to that mishap. keralis swallowed a lump in his throat, cracking a smile at the duet even though seeing them together made him sick to his stomach both figuratively and literally.

the shopping district was rather populated, even this early in the morn, but even the abundance of hermits couldn't see what he saw when he looked at the pair. he saw the hesitation to lean fully on doc, the way that he tried to stay as straight as possible when he leaned on one side. he saw the bruises on his wrists, even when it was covered by light makeup. he saw the smirk that doc hid behind his "concerned" frown at the discomfort his boyfriend was in. he saw it all.

"hey, bubbles, can i talk to you?" he asked impulsively, the words slipping from his mouth before he could stop himself. "don't worry, doccy, i'll have him back soon!" he didn't wait for an answer, latching onto bdubs' arm and tugging him around a corner, leaning around it to make sure doc wasn't going to try to watch. a few taps on his communicator and keralis and bdubs were in a call, where no one else could hear and bother them— _especially_ not doc.

eyes filled with worry, he grabbed onto the other's arms to hold him in place. "bubbles," he hesitated, rethinking his choice. releasing a shaky breath, he changed his plan on confrontation to something else. "are you okay?"

bdubs answers quickly. almost too quickly. "yeah."

keralis let his hands slip off of his upper arms, sliding them down to take his hands. he held them up, choosing to stare instead at the bruises on his wrists than look him in the eyes. "are you absolutely sure? doc isn't... hurting you on purpose or anything?" he asked, prying for a reassurance that he knew wouldn't even reassure him. his eyes flicked up to meet the others. his heart dropped into his stomach at the expression morphing on his best friend's face.

"what are you implying?" venom dripped from his tongue and he felt a pit of worry form in his chest as the builder yanked his hands out of the other's. 

he bit the inside of his lip, piercing it with his tooth, to keep himself from firing a retort that was hardly warranted. waving his hands dismissively, he stepped back, turning his head away, "nothing, nothing..." he bit harder, scowling as he struggled to stop himself from starting an argument. _he won't listen to you if you yell at him, keralis... get it together! you have to do this professionally or—_

"don't be like that. i love him."

that did it.

he cracked, and everything he was trying to keep in spilled out.

"what do you mean you love him?! he fucking hurts you, bubbles! you don't know how absolutely fucking terrifying it is to have you call me in the morning, _begging_ for me to kill you! it's awful! why can't you see that this is not normal?!" he shouted, immediately regretting it a second the andrenaline wore off and bdubs began his reply.

"shut up! it's not his fault! he can't control when he goes feral, and i would rather have him hurt me than all of you!" he made a wide gesture to the rest of the shopping district, backing up. "you don't understand a thing! this kind of thing _happens_ in mob-human relationships! doc said so!"

rage flooded from his body as keralis fired a retort, " _really_?! are you fucking blind, bubbles?! cleo and joe don't act like this! jevin and wels don't act like this! tango and impulse don't act like this! are you _seriously_ believing the man who abuses you over your _best_ _friend_?!?" he desperately repelled his tears. crying wouldn't help anything. he lowered his volume, breathing heavy. "one day— one day, he's going to hurt you and i wont be there to help you and you're going to _die_. maybe then you'll see."

bdubs clenched his hands into fists. "good. i don't want you to help me anymore."

the call closed and bdubs stalked around the corner, radiating silent rage as he returned to doc's side.


End file.
